Capsule-cutting machine



.(No Model.)

T. 0. MBRZ. CAPSULE CUTTING MACHINE.

No. 355,193. Patented Dec. 28,1886.

INVENTOR= U x/gwbw nub-1 m, Walhinglolh n c UNIT D STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

THEODORE G. MERZ, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CAPSULE-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 355,193, dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed January 28, 18 86. Serial No; 190,060. (No model.)

To aZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE 0. Mann, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of XVayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Capsule Cutting Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven; tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of machines known as capsule cutters or trimmers; and my inventionconsists in the means employed, whereby the capsule or capsules, when sufificiently congealed upon the capsulemold pin or pins, may be severed or cut at the desired point by bringing the capsule or capsules in contact with a knife or knifeblades pivotall y attached to a suitable support. Said capsules while being out are caused to travel in a circle around the pivot of the k nife-blades, causing said knife-blades to travel in advance around the capsules, whereby the capsules are trimmed by a direct and adjustable pressure of the knife-blades, said pressure being dependent on friction upon their pivoted ends, produced by means of a coiled spring forming a yielding bearing, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

In the drawings forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is an isometrical representation of my inv'eution,having like parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, being an irregular section on dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3% and 4 are details. Figs": 5 and 6 are details of modifications, as will be fully set forth.

This machine may properly be called a hand-machine, and is intended to be a double machineethat is, I design cutting the capsules of two single capsule-plates or the capsules upon a double-faced capsule-pin plate at one operation.

In the drawings, Arepresents a base or plat form, to the corners of which I attach the upright supports 1 and at each end of the base, at the center, I firmly fix the supports H H. Said supports are mort-ised at g. Passing through the mortises, and extending the full length and slightly beyond the platform, is a bar, D. I firmly attach to said bar the traveling uprights E E. Their inner faces are V- shaped, as shown at WV of Fig. 3. I attach to the ends of the traveling bar D and to the top end of the uprights E E metal straps Z Z, pass-' ing over the uprights H H. Said straps serve as handles.

B B represent a double capsulepin plate, the capsulepins t projecting from both faces, and upon their ends the capsules Gare formed in the usual way, by dipping, which need not be set forth.

The double plate B B, I place in the machine, with its lower edge resting upon the traveling bar D. The V-shaped edges of the traveling uprights project between the ends of the plate B B, thereby holding the plate in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 1. I attach to the fixed uprights H H, on opposite sides, arms h, which project horizontally parallel to the vertical faces of the movable uprights E E, their free ends carrying afixed pin projecting inward at right angles to the face of each arm (see Fig. 3) and lying within the vertical channel a ofthe metal thimble S, which I 10- cate in each of the movable uprights E. I locate in each thiinble a fixed spool, F, having reduced ends T T, thus forming a circular channel,'n, at each end of the spools, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. the vertical channnels into and around in the circular channels it, thereby giving the moldplates a circular motion, as hereinafter set forth.

Passing through the fixed uprights at each end of the machine I employ guide-rods r r. I mount on said rods, on each side of the plate B B, a sliding plate, 0, one of which is shown in Fig. -1, the other beingbroken away. Iattach to the plates G, at the ends, an upright support, d, through which the rods 1' r pass. I attach firmly to the inner face of the sliding plates 0 a series of rods, to. Said rods project inward horizontally, and correspond in num ber with the number of capsule-pins upon the adj aeent face of the capsule-pin plate. I pivotally attach'to the end of each rod a aknife- 1 blade, 6, as clearly shown in Figs. land 2. A screw, 8, passes through each blade, and is screwed into the end of each rod a. (See Figs.

2 and 4.) I locate between each bladeand the end of each rod a a coiled wire, 1', or spring,

The pins 2; pass through which presses the blade against the head of the screw 8, holdingeach blade by friction or pressure, but allowing'the blade to turn upon its pivot or screw when propelled by the pressure of a capsule-pin, as hereinafter set forth.

To increase the pressure upon a blade, the screw 8 is forced farther into the arm a. The pressure against each blade should be sufficient to prevent any knife-blade from dropping down or out of proper position, and to cause a sutficient pressure against the capsule upon a pin, when said blade is caused to revolve upon its axis by the pressure of a capsule'pin, to sever or properly cut the capsule.

The pins a, carrying knife-blades, correspond in number with the pins upon the face of the capsule-pin plate, and are located in the sliding plate 0, sothat when said plate is advanced toward the capsule-plate,to the dotted position of Fig. 1, each blade-supporting arm will be located directly over a capsule and its pin, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and each knife-blade,when not in motion or before the act of cutting, dependsfrom its arm at an angle of about thirty degrees, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 shows a forked cutting-blade, e, attached to a revolving head, m, which is secured to the end of the arm a, and revolves with the blade upon the screw 8, passing through the head and blade, as shown in Fig. 6. I attach to the head m a spring, i. Its ends are passed through the blade, pressing downward upon the blade. Said blade has alongitudinal slot, 0, fitting over the screw and over the luglupon the head, which allows the blade to havealongitudinal movement.

The capsule upon its pin is projected into the fork of the knife-blade, and said blade is caused to revolve upon its axis by the action or pressure of the capsule-pin in traveling around the arm a. The object of the longitudinal movement of the blade is to allow it to adjust itself to the position of a capsule-pin, should one be bent or slightly out of place.

The operations of the machine are as follows: The capsules having been formed upon the pins of a capsule-pin plate, said plate is placed within the traveling frame D E E, as shown in Fig. 1. The sliding plateC, supporting the knives, is advanced to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, projecting the blades sufficiently over the capsules to cut them the desired length, as shown in Fig. 2. The operator then grasps both the straps Z Z, lifting the frame D E E and capsule-plate sufficiently to bring each capsule in contact with the cuttingedge of a blade, as shown in Fig. 2, when the pins '0 n in the stationary arms h h at each end of the machine will pass out of the vertical channels a a of the thimbles S S into the circular channels a n, as shown by upper dotted position of Fig. 3%. Then by pressing the strap-handles Z Z to the left and upward the frame will be caused to travel around, guided by the pins 12, withinthe channels a, to the right, as indicated by arrow in Fig.

3%, thus bringing each capsule and its pin in contact with a cutting-blade, causing each blade to turn on its pivot, and when the pins are at the bottoms of the channels each capsule and its pin will be over an arm, a, supporting the blade, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2; the blade e of. each arm will have been drawn around to the dotted position of Fig. 2, and when each capsule has been revolved completely around and against a knife-blade and reaches the vertical slots a a, the traveling frame and its capsule-plate drop down to their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1, and to the dotted position of Fig. 2, carrying the capsules away from the knives. Then the knife-plate Ois drawn back to the normal position of Fig. 1, when the capsule-pin plate may be removed and another inserted to repeat the operation.

Having thus full yset forth my present in-. vention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a capsule-machine, and in combination, the traveling frame D E E, supporting the capsule-pin plate, the mechanism, set forth, guiding said traveling frame in its vertical and rotary motion, consisting of the thimbles S, having the circular and vertical channel in each end, said thimbles mounted on the traveling uprights E, the arm h, mounted on the fixed uprights H, and provided with pins 1;, extending into the channels a and n, the sliding plate 0, carrying a knifeblade pivotally mounted on a support in the sliding plate, and a device for producing adjustable friction on the pivoted end, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a capsule cutting machine, the combination of the platform, the uprights attached thereto, the bar D, the uprights mounted on said bar, each containing a thimble, S, and spool F, with reduced ends T, the fixed supports H, the set of arms 71, attached thereto, provided with pins 22, extending into the channels of the thimbles 'S, the capsule-pin plate mounted on the traveling frame, the rods r, and the sliding plates 0, mounted 011 said rods, each plate provided with a series of knife-blades, each blade pivotally attached to a support in the sliding plate, as and forthe purposes specified.

3. In a gelatine-capsule-cutting machine, the combination of a forked knife-blade, pivotally mounted on a shaft, said blade having a friction-producing device at its pivoted end, and mechanism, substantially as specified, for bringing a capsule and its pin in contact with the cutting-edges of said blade, causing said blade to revolve on its pivot and the capsule and its pin to describe a circle around the pivot of the knife-blade, substantially as and for thepurpose specified. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses;

' THEODORE C. MERZ.

\Vitnesses:

R. B. WHEELER, 0. W. RUssELL. 

